I wanted to take a moment to share why I haven’t been cooking recently…

There’s a few reasons, really:

1.) Our Japan Trip

With the Dollar:Yen exchange rate lower than it’s been in years, Mike and I decided to GO BIG for vacation this year and spent the latter half of June in Tokyo and Kyoto.

I won’t say much now because I am planning several blog posts about our trip, but despite not being a big fan of Japanese Food (I know, I’m crazy!), I completely adored both cities.

2.) A Visit with my Family at Sandy Pond

Mike and I also spent nearly a week at Sandy Pond (in Upstate New York) for our annual Summer getaway with my family. After our fun but exhausting trip to Japan, it was nice to have a vacation where relaxation was the main objective!

Sister, Brother, Mother, Father, Me

3.) Houseguests in Chicago

These two silly geese (my nieces) came to spend a long weekend in Chicago with us, along with my sister and her friend. My older niece kept every spare second of my time busy with books to be read, card games to be played, and crafts to be made – and I loved every second of it!

My Nieces

And I’ve been SICK and TIRED during all of the above with no appetite or energy to cook because…

4.) We’rehavingababy!

Bumpin’ at 18 weeks

I now have an even greater respect for all mothers because I have to say Morning Sickness (All Day Sickness, really) is NO Joke. I developed aversions to nearly every food imaginable, became extremely sensitive to acidity in foods (even applesauce was too acidic!), and had several bad days where I could barely keep down water.

My unpredictable stomach even forced me to give up my beloved meal-prep routine and set me way behind on a couple upcoming product & cookbook reviews.

Our baby is due Mid-January, and now that I’m 18-weeks pregnant, while I’m still very limited in what my stomach will tolerate, I’m finally able to eat more than Oatmeal, Mashed Potatoes, and Amy’s Bean & Rice Burritos.

And while my energy is still at an all-time low, I’m forcing myself to take a little time each day to begin preparing for baby, even if that just means Reading, Watching a DVD, or researching baby registry items online. From doing so, I found 3 incredible resources at my local library that I wanted to share:

Eat, Sleep, Poop (Book) – Recommended by LiveHalfFull, I echo her sentiments on this book. Written by a Pediatrician who is also a Dad, I appreciate the common sense advice in this book covering what’s important to know for Baby’s first year. I borrowed my copy from the library but am considering purchasing a copy to refer back to once our baby arrives.

Baby Bargains (Book) – Shopping has always stressed me out. This book, recommended by my friend Heather, has made me feel much calmer going into the Baby Registry process, with reviews of popular Baby Brands & Products and candid advice as to which features & products are and aren’t important.

Happiest Baby on the Block (DVD) – My hospital offers a baby prep class based on this book, but the dates didn’t work with our schedule. Instead, we rented the DVD from the library and were blown away by how Dr. Karp is able to calm even the most upset baby with just a few simple moves.

We’re so excited to find out the gender in just two more weeks… Stay tuned!